Package opening device



Feb. 8, 1966 o. w. EHLERS PACKAGE OPENING DEVICE Filed July 22, 1964 INVEN TOR. 0774 14/26 /4/I/ (59556 United States Patent 3,233,821 PACKAGEOPENING DEVICE Otto William Ehlers, 301 29th St., Hermosa Beach, Calif.Filed July 22, 1964, Ser. No. 384,387 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-66) The presentinvention relates to a device to facilitate the opening and subsequentclosing of sealed bags and other similar containers. More specifically,the invention herein relates to a device for facilitating the openingand subsequent closing of heat-sealed bags of polyethylene or other thinplastic sheet material.

The use of polyethylene bags has become a reasonably widespread practicesince it affords a simple and inexpensive means of packaging small itemsfor the consumer market. In many instances, polyethylene has replacedcellophane and waxed paper as a medium for packaging due to its lowercost and more efiicient sealing properties. Such bags are ordinarilyclosed by a heat sealing method. Due to the high strength and resiliencycharacteristics of the material, it is often difficult to open the bagsin a manner to permit effective re-closing after removing a portion ofthe contents thereof.

It is an object, therefore, of this invention to provide an improveddevice for opening polyethylene bags.

More specifically, it is the object of the present invention to providea finger tab inserted between the two open sides of a polyethylene bagprior to heat sealing, thereby affording a means by which the bag may bereadily opened without damage, and subsequently reclosed.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeclear upon reading the following description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a heat sealed bag having a finger tabtherein.

FIGURE 2 is a partial side view taken substantially along line 2-2 ofFIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged partial perspective view showing a heat sealedbag having a finger tab with the bag partly opened.

A polyethylene bag is generally designated in the drawings. Such bagsare frequently used to package various foodstuffs such as nuts, potatochips, candy, etc. In addition, such containers are often used topackage other small items such as hardware whenever individual packagingis required. In order to close the container and particularly in thecase of food packaging, to seal the container, the open end or ends ofthe bag are closed under heat and presses which forms a heat seal. Eventhough a small amount of unsealed material is left above the seal, thereis usually not enough to grasp with the fingers to open the seal withouttearing the bag apart. Such a heat sealed strip is generally designated11 in the drawings.

A finger tab 12 is inserted into the mouth at any point between the twosides or panels of the bag 10 prior to the heat sealing thereof. Tab 12should be of suificient length so that it will afford a grip on itsexposed portion and so that another portion projects into the interiorof the bag 10. Tab 12 may be made of any suitable material but it shouldhave a tear strength exceeding that of the heat seal strip 11. A tabconstructed of polyethylene of a heavier grade than the material for thebag 10 affords a good heat seal around the tab, which is important tomaintain the freshness of foodstuffs and keep them moisture free. Anaperture 13 may be provided in tab 12 to allow means for hanging suchbags on a display rack.

The opening of a bag by the use of the present invention is accomplishedby inserting a fingernail, as shown in FIGURE 2 in phantom lines,between the tab and one edge of the unsealed portion of the bag, andthen grasping the tab with the other hand to separate the heat sealedsides.

An additional device 14 may be incorporated into the tab for use inreclosing a partially emptied bag. Such device 14 has a hole or aperture15 at one end, one side of which is slit at 16 to provide a lateralopening to said hole 15. To reclose a partially emptied bag, the top ofthe bag is twisted and closure device 14 is attached at the twistedportion by forcing it through the slit 16 into the hole 15, therebymaintaining the seal afforded by the twisted portion.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatchanges and modifications may be made without departing from thisinvention in its broader aspects, and it is the aim of the appendedclaim to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within thetrue scope and spirit of this invention.

I claim:

A heat sealed polyethylene bag assembly comprising the combination: apolyethylene bag having a front panel and a rear panel having edgesforming a mouth, a polyethylene tab having opposed faces, the tab beingpositioned in the mouth between the front panel and the rear panel, themouth of the bag being closed by heat scaling to join the front panel tothe rear panel on opposite sides of the sides of the tab and to joinboth the front panel and the rear panel to opposite faces of the tab,the tab projecting both inside and outside of the bag, the tab having aslotted aperture, and the tab being removable upon manually breaking theheat seals between the tab and the panels of the bag, to permit use ofthe slotted aperture to receive the panels after twisting to re-closethe bag.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,349,247 5/1944Coghill 22962 2,981,990 5/ 1961 Balderree.

3,001,689 9/1961 Burton 229-62 3,097,788 6/1963 Nichols 229--55 FOREIGNPATENTS 883,771 12/1961 Great Britain.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, Examiner.

